Paramedicine is an open access, peer-reviewed journal. All accepted articles are made freely available online immediately upon publication, are published under a Creative Commons license, and hosted online in perpetuity.

There is no charge for submitting a paper to the journal. The Australasian College of Paramedicine sponsors the journal by covering the article processing charge (APC) and making articles open access, thus there is no charge to authors for publishing their articles with the journal. 

For general information on open access at Sage please visit the Open Access page or view our Open Access FAQs. 

Your article must be within the scope of the journal and be of sufficient quality. If not, it will not be reviewed. Please read the journal’s Aims and Scope to see if your article is appropriate.

The manuscript must be your original work, you must have the rights to the work, and you must have obtained and be able to supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you, including figures, illustrations, tables, lengthy quotations, or other material previously published elsewhere.

Article types

View our Special Collections currently accepting submissions.

Please visit the Sage Journal Author Gateway for guidance on producing visual and/or video abstracts.

Paramedicine accepts submissions of the following types of articles:

(Word counts are guides and refer to the main manuscript only excluding the abstract, tables, and figures. Submissions exceeding the guide word limit must contain an argument for exceeding the count in the submission letter to the Editor)

• Original quantitative research (4,500 words)
• Original qualitative research (6,500 words)
• Original mixed methods research (6,000 words)
• Systematic reviews (6,000 words)
• Scoping reviews (6,000 words)
• Other reviews using a recognised methodology (6,000 words)
• Quality improvement/assurance/project evaluation (4,500 words)
• Research methods (3,500 words)
• Scholarly Perspectives (3,500 words)
• Commentaries (3,000 words)
• Editorials (2000 words)

The journal does not accept study protocols for clinical trials, systematic or scoping reviews.

There is no limit on the number of references allowed. A maximum of 5 tables and 5 figures are permitted in a published article. Additional tables or figures may be included as supplemental material to which hyperlinks will be available.

Submissions must include 5 key words selected from those available on SageTrack. Three further tailored key words may be provided.

General requirements for all article types

Paramedicine is an international journal. Authors should seek to position their research in the international literature rather than that which is specific to a single geographical region.

Authors should seek to engage with broader healthcare literature and evidence, positioning paramedicine within that broader context rather than as a discipline in isolation.

Authors should ensure they articulate a coherent theoretical or conceptual framework used to inform the research where applicable and the paradigm in which the research is positioned.

Authors should seek to articulate the implications of their work, address translatability, and address the ‘so what’ question in the discussion section.

Specific requirements for article types

Original quantitative research (4,500 words)

• A theoretical framework and/or research paradigm, where appropriate, should be articulated in the methods section.
• The study should be reported in adherence to a relevant reporting standard, preferably from the EQUATOR network resources. The completed checklist must be submitted with the manuscript.

Original qualitative research (6,500 words)

• A theoretical framework and/or research paradigm must be articulated in the methods section. This must include explicit reference to the underlying ontological and epistemological position underpinning the research, trustworthiness and rigour, and reflexivity.
• The study should be reported in adherence to a relevant reporting standard, preferably the EQUATOR SRQR reporting guideline. The completed checklist must be submitted with the manuscript.

Original mixed methods research (6,000 words)

• The study should be reported in adherence to a relevant reporting standard, preferably from the EQUATOR network resources such as GRAMMS. The completed checklist must be submitted with the manuscript.

Systematic reviews (6,000 words)

• These must have a published protocol via either PROSPERO or the JBI Systematic Review Registry. The protocol registration number and a functional link to the protocol must be included in the manuscript.
• These must have been conducted using a recognised systematic review methodology. Paramedicine recommends the JBI or Cochrane methodological guidance.
• A Summary of Findings Table must be included adhering to GRADE assessment of certainty.
• The study should be reported in adherence to the PRISMA reporting guidelines. The completed checklist must be submitted with the manuscript.
• The complete search strategy for at least one major database (Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, or similar), including number of results for each query, must be included as an Appendix. 

Scoping reviews (6,000 words)

• This journal’s position and requirements regarding scoping reviews is articulated in the editorial by Simpson and Pap:
• Simpson P, Pap R. Enhancing quality of scoping reviews in paramedicine research – guidance for authors. Paramedicine. 2023;20(2):35-37. doi:10.1177/27536386231161942
• These must have a published protocol via a freely accessible platform, for example Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/) or Figshare ( https://figshare.com/), or via a peer-reviewed journal publication. The protocol registration number and a functional link to the protocol must be included in the manuscript.
• These must have been conducted using a contemporary recognised scoping review methodology. Paramedicine endorses the JBI methodological guidance, and recommends authors engage with:
• Peters MDJ, Marnie C, Tricco AC, Pollock D, Munn Z, Alexander L, McInerney P, Godfrey CM, Khalil H. Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews. JBI Evid Synth. 2020 Oct;18(10):2119-2126. doi: 10.11124/JBIES-20-00167. PMID: 33038124
• The study should be reported in adherence to the PRISMA-ScR reporting guideline. The completed checklist must be submitted with the manuscript.
• The complete search strategy for at least one major database (Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, or similar), including number of results for each query, must be included as an Appendix. 

Other structured reviews using recognised methodology (6,000 words)

• Reviews must follow a recognised methodology. For a typology of literature review methods, Paramedicine recommends authors engage with:
• Grant, M.J. and Booth, A. (2009), A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 26: 91-108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x

Quality improvement/assurance/project evaluation (4,500 words)

• The journal’s position regarding ‘quality management’ submissions is articulated in the editorial by Simpson and Tavares.

• Simpson P, Tavares W. Raising expectations and defining boundaries in quality management scholarship: Strengthening the design, methodology, and reporting of quality-focused work. Paramedicine. 2025;22(5):221-224. doi:10.1177/27536386251369129

• Authors must clearly articulate why the submission constitutes quality improvement/quality assurance/project evaluation rather than research.

• Paramedicine recognises that quality improvement projects or service evaluations that satisfy criteria for no or negligible risk may be exempt from requiring formal ethical review by an ethics committee or institutional review board under local jurisdictional or national policies relevant to where the work was conducted. In such circumstances a comprehensive statement is required that explains why there is no or negligible risk, identifies the specific local policy under which exemption is justified, confirms that the work was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and states site-specific approval was granted by the organisation under whose auspices the project was conducted. It is not sufficient to simply state that ethics approval was not required because the authors claim it to be quality-focused work or project evaluation. Paramedicine prefers quality-focused submissions that that can demonstrate evidence of exemption from ethical approval formally from a lead human research ethics committee or equivalent.

• These should be reported in adherence to the SQUIRE 2.0 reporting standard, or a similar reporting guide relevant to the specific design.

Scholarly Perspective (3,000 words)

• Scholarly Perspectives allow authors the opportunity to provide one or more focused arguments and/or high-level syntheses of value to the field of paramedicine. It may include theorizing about issues in our field, problematizing a topic intended to stimulate discussion, addressing a serious challenge, proposing counter-arguments to conceptual advances, providing new ways of thinking about a topic, or advocating for ideas. These are intended to help to contribute to a topic area or as a means of advancing paramedicine broadly. The author(s) usually have extensive expertise and/or programs of research in related spaces. Perspectives should be aligned with the mission of Paramedicine.
• Perspectives should be aligned with the mission of Paramedicine.
• These manuscripts should be scholarly, have a clear focus, and present a novel and meaningful argument that is well-supported by a broad literature.
• The degree and type of literature included should be representative not comprehensive, judicious, reach beyond paramedicine, and be appropriate for the length and depth of the piece.
• Perspectives MUST enhance the existing literature and our thinking on the subject. While these manuscripts can involve opinions, those opinions should be well positioned and supported.
• Perspectives are not obligated to have a methodology; however, a description should be given to how arguments are derived and presented.
• Generally, perspectives are no longer than 3000 words, but authors should find the length that supports a concise but complete message.

For research articles, authors are also required to state in the methods section whether participants provided informed consent and whether the consent was written or verbal.

Information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series should be included in the manuscript text. A statement is required regarding whether written informed consent for patient information and images to be published was provided by the patient(s) or a legally authorized representative. Please do not submit the patient’s actual written informed consent with your article, as this in itself breaches the patient’s confidentiality. The Journal requests that you confirm to us, in writing, that you have obtained written informed consent but the written consent itself should be held by the authors/investigators themselves, for example in a patient’s hospital record. The confirmatory letter may be uploaded with your submission as a separate file.

Reporting guidelines

Your manuscript must follow the relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines, depending on the type of study. The EQUATOR wizard can help identify the appropriate guideline. You will need to upload the appropriate checklist with your submission.

Other resources can be found at NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.

If your research involves animals, you will be asked to confirm that you have carefully read and adhered to the ARRIVE guidelines.

As part of the submission process you will need to confirm that this is your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that this is for first publication in this Journal, that it is not being considered for/has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

Please see our guidelines on prior publication and note that the journal may accept submissions of manuscripts that have been posted on preprint servers.

Submission site

Submit your manuscript online via Sage Track.

IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in Sage Track before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.

Manuscripts should only be submitted with the consent of all contributing authors. The individual responsible for submitting the manuscript should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the manuscript are listed as authors.

Ensure you upload all relevant manuscript files, including any additional supplemental files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

Authorship

Please view our authorship policies, which includes information on criteria for authorship, who should be the corresponding author and more.

Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.

Files

• Cover letter. To help the Editor in their preliminary evaluation, please indicate why you think the manuscript suitable for publication.
• Title Page with all required identifying information as laid out in Preparing your manuscript for submission (above). This will not be sent to the peer reviewers.
• Your manuscript, properly formatted and anonymized according to all stipulations above, and within the scope of the journal. Any information that compromises the anonymity of the author(s) should be removed or anonymized and included on the Title Page instead. See above for more information on anonymization. This version will be sent to the peer reviewers.
• The required format for your manuscript is MS Word (doc/docx).
• Submissions should generally not exceed the word limit guides although in some cases longer versions may be accepted if approved by the Editor in Chief.
• Manuscript text should be formatted as double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman type.
• Organize the manuscript by using primary, secondary, and tertiary headings, rather than numbered headings.  Primary headings should be capitalised and bolded. Secondary headings should be in sentence case and bolded.  Tertiary headings should be normal text and italicised.
• An ethics statement must be included as the last section in the methods section.
• An acknowledgement statement (if relevant) should be positioned after the conclusion, followed by an author contribution statement that confirms all authors have met the requirements for authorship, conflict of interest statement and funding statement.
• Figures/charts and tables created in MS Word should be included in the main text rather than at the end of the document.
• Figures and other files created outside MS Word (i.e. MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, JPG, TIFF, and EPS) should be submitted separately. Please add a placeholder note in the running text (i.e. “[insert Figure 1.]")
• Tables may be single spaced and in smaller fonts, if necessary, for formatting. Legends/titles should be positioned above for tables, and below for figures.  Legends must contain enough detail to enable the table or figure to stand alone.  All abbreviations used in tables and figures must be explained in smaller font beneath, even if they have already been explained in the main text.
• Figures and images.
• All figures must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text – they will appear in the published article in the order they are numbered.
• Figure resolution is 300dpi. More information on figure/image preparation can be found here.
• Supplemental material. This journal can host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images, etc) alongside the full-text of the article. Your supplemental material must be one of our accepted file types. For that list and more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplemental files.

• Complete list of authors, with their institutional affiliations.
• The author information you enter at submission must exactly match what is included on your manuscript and/or title page, including full names, academic affiliations, and corresponding author contact details.
• The listed affiliation should be the institution where the research was conducted. If an author has moved to a new institution since completing the research, the new affiliation can be included in a note at the end of the manuscript.
• All listed authors must meet the criteria for authorship (above).
• All persons eligible for authorship must be included at the time of submission.
• All authors must have given consent for the manuscript to be submitted in its current form.
• Keywords: During submission, you may be asked to select or enter keywords for your manuscript. These keywords are used to match appropriate reviewers to your manuscript.
• The number of figures, tables, and words in your manuscript.
• Funder information: Name, grant/award number.
• You may be required to enter your declaration of conflicting interest as part of the submission process, in addition to listing it on your manuscript and/or title page. Please have it on hand.

• If you have posted your manuscript to a preprint server, you will be asked to supply the DOI (this does not prohibit submission, but no changes should be made to the preprint version while your manuscript is under evaluation in this journal). Please see our guidelines on prior publication. If the article is accepted for publication, the author may re-use their work according to the journal's author archiving policy. If your manuscript is accepted, you must include a link in your preprint to the final version of your published article.

The following summary describes the peer review process for this journal:
Identity transparency: Double-anonymized
Reviewer interacts with: Editor and Deputy Editors
Review information published: None

Your manuscript will undergo an initial evaluation. If it does not conform to the requirements laid out in these guidelines, it will be returned to you for amendments prior to peer review. Manuscripts may be desk rejected without peer review at this point if they are out of scope for the journal or otherwise unsuitable.

After passing the initial evaluation, your manuscript will then be peer reviewed. You can log in at any time to check the status of your manuscript. We will notify you when a decision has been reached.

The journal adheres to a rigorous double-anonymized reviewing policy in which the identity of both the reviewer and author are always concealed from both parties. Two independent reviews are required for a manuscript to reach a Revise or Accept decision.

The following manuscript types may not require two independent reviews to be accepted: Editorials.

To ensure the integrity of the peer review process we assign reviewers and cannot accept author recommendations.

All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, while maintaining rigor. Reviewers make comments to the author and recommendations to the Editor and Deputy Editors who then makes the final decision on all manuscripts, including those appearing in a special issue or special collection. The Editor or members of the Editorial Board may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for possible publication in the Journal. In these cases, the peer review process will be managed by alternative members of the Board and the submitting Editor/Board member will have no involvement in the decision-making process.

As a COPE member we engage with multiple forms of post-publication discussion in line with wider guidance from Sage: Commentaries, Critiques and Responses.

You can view our complaints and appeals policy here.

Read Sage's complete peer review policy.

Plagiarism

The journal and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. Please read Sage's complete policy on plagiarism and the actions we may take.

After acceptance you will receive instructions via email inviting you to complete the Open Access process. This will include signing the appropriate Creative Commons license and, where applicable, paying the Article Processing Charge (APC) or assigning a bill payer. Once the APC has been processed, your article will be prepared for publication and can appear online within an average of 30 days. Please note that, where an APC is applicable, production work cannot be completed on your manuscript until payment has been received.

Contributor’s Publishing Agreement

Before publication we require the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. The journal publishes manuscripts under Creative Commons licenses. The standard license for the journal is Creative Commons by Attribution Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC), which allows others to re-use the work without permission as long as the work is properly referenced and the use is non-commercial. For more information, you are advised to visit Sage's OA licenses page. Alternative license arrangements are available at the author’s request (e.g. to meet particular funder mandates).

Preprints

If your manuscript was posted on a preprint server prior to acceptance, you must include a link in your preprint to the final published version of your published article.

Production

Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be made available to the corresponding author via our editing portal, Sage Edit, or by email, and should be returned promptly to avoid delaying publication. Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence, and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate. This is the final opportunity to make changes to your manuscript. Further corrections will not be possible after publication. Changes to the author list are not permitted at this stage.

OnlineFirst publication: This enables us to publish final articles online immediately, without waiting for assignment to a future issue of the Journal. This usually significantly reduces publication lead time. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite OnlineFirst articles.

Promoting your article

Publication is not the end of the process. Between us, we can ensure that your article is found, read, downloaded and cited as widely as possible. Many of the most effective tactics are those you can do quickly and easily to your network of contacts and peers. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway for numerous resources to help you promote your work.

The Sage Journal Author Gateway has some general advice on how to get published, plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance your article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.

If you have any questions about publishing with Sage, please visit the Sage Journals Solutions Portal.

You can view our complaints and appeals procedure.

Contact us

You can direct any questions to the journal’s editorial office:

Editor-in-Chief
Associate Professor Paul Simpson
editor.paramedicine@paramedics.org